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Levine Cava Highlights County Services For Domestic Violence Victims

Miami Herald Staff

Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava toured the county's CoordinatedVictims Assistance CenterMonday. She wanted to showcase how $7 million in tax funds from the county are spent to help domestic violence victims.

Violet Felipe-Diaz, a domestic violence victim advocate for CVAC, says about 350 victims sign in per month in Miami-Dade -- and 85 percent of those victims are women.

"Understand that these ladies get into an abusive relationship, they leave, and then they go back. So that’s why we get so many returning clients," Felipe-Diaz says. 

CVAC offers these victims about 35 services free of charge -- protective orders, divorce filings and mental health counseling, to list a few. They’ve even repaired automobiles. 

"We hear all the time the abuser put sugar in her tank to keep her from going to work," says Felipe-Diaz. 

Miami-Dade Commissioner Levine Cava says she’s impressed with the amount of services CVAC offers to local victims.

"Help is here. This is a warm, engaging place. Everything is done to make it easy to access," says Levine Cava. 

The commissioner says this visit was meant to demonstrate how the county is helping women as March -- Women’s History Month -- comes to a close. 

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